This is My City is a yearlong project from the City of Calgary Arts and Culture department aimed at bringing art-making and creative skill-building to Calgary's homeless population. As part of TMC, Artist Trading Card workshops and exhibitions have been happening since September 2008. TMC aims to create a forum in which the homeless are given the chance to use their voice and engage the general public in a dialogue about its issues.

The aims of the Artist Trading Card aspect of This is My City project:

- Allow homeless art makers a quick and easy way to get involved in art making - Provide them with a democratized art form that allows them to connect as a community (without dollars or cents in the exchange) - At the end, connect the homeless art makers to the larger trading community

Artist Trading Cards have been part of the Calgary art community for over 12 years. The medium provides anyone the opportunity to explore and expand their creativity. The format, being only 2.5 x 3.5 inches, is a good place to try out new things or express oneself in a non-threatening manner. One does not need to be a trained artist to make trading cards, only have an idea and the will to express it.

The second step of the process is as important as making cards. Trading the cards one has made is an exciting experience. Being able to collect personal artworks from a variety of people provides not only an opportunity to exchange rather than buy/sell, but also enables the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and experiences. It is community building at its finest - creating a network of people from different backgrounds and allowing them to connect through the trade of small format works of art.

This is My City is a yearlong project from the City of Calgary Arts and Culture department aimed at bringing art-making and creative skill-building to Calgary's homeless population. As part of TMC, Artist Trading Card workshops and exhibitions have been happening since September 2008. TMC aims to create a forum in which the homeless are given the chance to use their voice and engage the general public in a dialogue about its issues.

The aims of the Artist Trading Card aspect of This is My City project:

Allow homeless art makers a quick and easy way to get involved in art makingProvide them with a democratized art form that allows them to connect as a community (without dollars or cents in the exchange)At the end, connect the homeless art makers to the larger trading communityArtist Trading Cards have been part of the Calgary art community for over 12 years. The medium provides anyone the opportunity to explore and expand their creativity. The format, being only 2.5 x 3.5 inches, is a good place to try out new things or express oneself in a non-threatening manner. One does not need to be a trained artist to make trading cards, only have an idea and the will to express it.

The second step of the process is as important as making cards. Trading the cards one has made is an exciting experience. Being able to collect personal artworks from a variety of people provides not only an opportunity to exchange rather than buy/sell, but also enables the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and experiences. It is community building at its finest - creating a network of people from different backgrounds and allowing them to connect through the trade of small format works of art.